Carling calls £10m ad pitch

The Molson Coors brand has made initial contact with agencies ahead of a pitch process that is being run through ISBA.

Carling has been with its current incumbent, VCCP Blue, for just over a year.

VCCP Blue picked up the creative account in June 2011 after a pitch. Before that, the brand’s incumbent agency was Beattie McGuinness Bungay.

Carling’s most-recent advertising represented a departure in tone from previous campaigns.

The "brilliantly refreshing" spot by VCCP Blue, released in September last year, aimed to reignite the brand’s image as "aspirational" as well as accessible. The spot was set to the track Wondrous Place by Alice Gold.

A follow-up ad by VCCP Blue for the brand’s premium variant Carling Chrome focused on a couple getting ready for a night out. The spot, which was the brand’s first TV ad, featured the soundtrack Get It On by T Rex.

Carling invested £7 million in its marketing push for Chrome. The campaign included cinema, outdoor and press activity.

Previously, Carling’s "you know who your mates are" campaign, created by BMB, ran from 2007 until 2011.

Carling launched Carling Zest, a limited-edition light beer targeted at summer drinkers, in March. The launch was supported by a £1.9 million campaign covering TV, press, outdoor and digital advertising.

This article was first published on campaignlive.co.uk